Cheat Code
by Glitchek
Summary: Ludwig needs a place to hide out over night and ends up running right into his solution. Literally. [GerMerica/GerAme Minecraft au]
1. Chapter 1

They just wouldnt stop following him. He had been running and running for miles on end but they just wouldnt stop. The stupid things only had stumps for legs, how did they manage to run this fast! The sky was dark, the sun had only just set and the loss of some of his sight left him hindered, but unlike the creepers, Ludwig knew where he was going. Sort of. He knew he was going to try and either build down and hide in a muddy hole over-night until the sun rose and hopefully the monsters had disappeared (and the creepers having grown bored, wandered away) or build up.

He had never been a fan of building up in the sky, the view was always nice but what would he do about farming? He did understand that the world he lived in defied gravity, blocks being able to float in the air without help, but surely that would be much more work than needed when you could just farm mud that was already on the ground? And there was also the fear of falling since a fall from that height would most certainly bring your life to a quick stop.

His thoughts came to a (very painful) halt as he was suddenly slammed into a thin, wooden tower. Putting a hand to his face, he groaned when there was blood on his palm and the sharp sting on his forehead was telling him he had wounded himself but now was not the time to pull out a plaster and some tissues. Ludwig looked up, searching for something that could help him be rid of these horrible, blowing-up-and-destroying-everything monsters.

Ludwig couldnt help but smile a smile of relief when he saw a ladder on the other side of the wooden tower, not hesitating to climb it quickly, and not caring where it would take him as long as it was far away from the mobs below.

The climb was slow and Ludwig could feel his arms starting to ache before there was suddenly no more ladder left to climb. Looking around, he saw that there was a whole other world that he had climbed to. There were tree's and grass and farmland off to his right, animals and chests to his left. The home had been built up so high, the clouds brushed against his ankles and surprisingly, it was a pretty nice feeling. Snapping out of his daze he saw something before him that he had been looking for since the sun had set.

A home.

Breaking down the door and making his way inside, Ludwig was startled when a pair of blue eyes met his own, the other person stopping whatever it was that they were doing before he had so rudely barged his way into the home. There was someone else in here (why had he not considered that before? This was clearly someone's home), it was a younger man, not too much younger than himself. He had blue eyes covered by a pair of glasses and blonde hair with one singular cowlick sitting in his parting. Their clothing only consisted of yellow shorts, a bear-like jumper and a blue backpack.

A sense of deja-vu filled his chest and so he stood for a few, quiet, moments before the realization of who it was came crashing down on him.

" _You!_ "  
"Me!"

It was the idiot he saw running across the landscape, away from some very angry zombies and skeletons. The idiot who had led the angry mobs to him and had taken his sword right from his hand and attempted to kill them before Ludwig abandoned the man and ran back home, not wanting to get himself killed in all the action.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Ludwig was, to say the least, confused. He had seen this other person in the snowy biome's which was far, _far_ away from here. Had he seriously trekked out that far?

"Well, uh," Gesturing to the area around him, the man smiled, "This is my home! You came up the ladder, yeah? Well- You dont look to great. You've kind of got blood dripping down your face.." This time, he gestured to his own face, a finger pointing to his forehead and dragging down.  
"Was it the monsters?"

"I may have.. Run into your ladder."

"Oooh. Thats okay! Dont worry, i used to do that all the time. You stay right there and ill go get you some band-aids. Is that.. Is that what they call them in Germany? Or do you guys have a different name for 'em? Oh- Im Alfred by the way!"

Alfred's voice faded as he ventured off somewhere into his home, behind a wall and a few doors. The noise of things being opened and closed filled his ears and head as Ludwig took in his surroundings. The home was nice, well laid-out and he even had carpet.

He could faintly hear a voice in the back of his mind, asking how the guy knew he was German (though he just chalked it up to his accent) and was nagging at him, telling him to leave. For once, just this once, he decided not to trust his conscience. He had no where else to run and a fall from this height would most certainly kill him and spread his things about for the monsters, or even other players, to pick up and that would be the last thing he would ever want. The guy hadn't kicked him out and didn't even seem angry for Ludwig just breaking down his door so why not stay?

"'Ay-o, i got you a band-aid and a drink since you sound pretty out of breath there." Alfred placed both the glass bottle of water and the small band-aid on the table and pushed them towards Ludwig. Sitting himself down and looking up at the other, Alfred smiled.

"So what's your name, big guy? Probably something scary sounding like.. Michael."

"Michael?" Ludwig laughed and picked up the plaster, pealing off the thin plastic and carefully placing it over his wound as best he could without a mirror. Pulling out a chair and grasping the water bottle, he smiled back.

"Ludwig."

Alfred let out a hum of acknowledgment and leaned on his hands, his chin resting in his palms and his eyes looking out at the world behind his windows. From there he could see the monsters making their way over the squared hills, not caring for anything but to live and hunt.

"Its a pretty scary world down there, huh? Walkin' bones and shit.. Zombies too. And those big, green, blobby things. You know, they make those gross noises when they move? Limes, or something."

Ludwig could only agree. The world on the ground was scary, whereas there was nothing to worry about up in the sky as long as you had plenty light, then you're fine. He began liking the world in the sky much more than he had before.

"Do you mind if i stay the night?"

It had slipped out, honestly, he hadn't meant to say it aloud. He could feel a clench in his chest as embarrassment washed over him, he had never had to ask something like that before! He was wounded so he probably wouldn't make it far on his own and there seemed to be more monsters out there than usual but surely this stranger, no matter how nice he seemed to be (or how good looking he was), wouldn't let him stay. Right?

"Dude, you don't even have to ask! I have a spare room you can take over for the night. Speaking of taking over for the night," Alfred stood and stretched out his arms above his head, his shirt lifting and showing the smallest bit of skin, and announced that he would be going to bed. "Your room is the one that has a bed and inst locked so it shouldn't be that hard to find. G'night, dude." Patting the German on the shoulder he smiled once more and headed up the stairs that stood silently at the far left of his home.

Following shortly after, Ludwig found his bedroom and hadn't realised how much his muscles ached before he lay down on the bed and groaned up at the ceiling, feeling like he just came out of battle with aching bones and wounds (only one wound but god _damn_ it stung). Sleep embraced him as did the duvet, the wool wrapping around him so comfortably that he fell into a dreamless sleep.

Sun shone in through the glass panes, casing beautiful patterns on the wooden floor. Looking out the window, Ludwig sighed as he saw that the sun had finally arrived, taking out the monsters one by one and leaving items behind in their dust. He lay there, quietly wondering where he was before remembering the night before, wanting to get out quickly and get home just as fast, hopefully before Alfred even woke. The blonde took his time to clean the room before making his way down stairs to the kitchen, making sure to leave the room just as spotless as it was before he had arrived.

He couldn't do anything else. He could thank him; thank him for letting him stay the night and giving him a drink, a plaster and shelter but it wouldn't be any good if he were to never see him again. Words were just words, and that was all they would be so there wouldn't be any point to it. But words written would stay forever (if the recipient took good care of the paper, that is).

Borrowing some coal from the furnace and a small piece of paper in a near-by chest, he began writing a Thank-You note to Alfred. The note had said all the things Ludwig could not bear to say himself and mentioned how he wouldn't mind meeting him again. Alfred was a nice guy, he would give him that, and it was rare that Ludwig found someone he would like to meet once more.

Once he had finished, slightly embarrassed that he had to do something like that, he sighed and placed the folded note on the table. It wouldn't be rude to just leave, it wasn't his home and he had agreed to only stay the night. And so that was the end of it, no more arguing with himself, he had to get back home.

With a sword in his hands and air in his lungs, he took off and remembered to close the door behind him, ignoring the sounds of footsteps on floor boards above him.


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N: please forgive me for anything that doesnt make sense, im super tired atm**

* * *

It had been at least a month since Ludwig's surprise meeting with Alfred. The sting from the cut on his nose (from when he had so foolishly ran into the wooden tower leading to Alfred's home) hadn't quite gone away just yet and seemed to be scarring. He wasn't too upset about it, a scar just meant another story, but it did mean he would probably look even more frightening and that would mean people would avoid him. Despite what the other's said, he wasn't a bad guy at all. Or at least he tried not to be.

Nightfall was his biggest enemy, he came to find out. The darkness hindered his vision and without some kind of specialized goggles, he wouldn't be able to see in the dark. While trekking through the grass, squinting to try and make sure he was walking towards a cow and not a spider, he remembered that Alfred had a pair of glasses. They could have been night vision goggles for all he knew and he hoped they were for Alfred would perhaps make him a pair.

While he was still at the other man's home he had noticed that a strap of leather went around the back of his head, securing his glasses to his head. Smart, he had thought, that way they wouldn't fall off during battle or if he fell a great fall.

Loosing his footing, Ludwig shouted as suddenly there was no longer any grass for him to walk on, just an emptiness below him. He came to a sudden halt as he fell to a ledge, shouting in pain. He couldn't see how far he had fallen but he knew he had fallen straight into an above-ground ravine. The sound of water falling and lava bubbling below him made his heart race with fear. Who knows if he would survive falling any further.

Luck was not on Ludwig's side today and that became very apparent to him as he heard the sound of hissing not to far away before the loud _bang_ echoed in the ravine, alerting all the other monsters nearby to his presence.

Quickly getting to his feet, ignoring the pain in his back, he took his sword from his sheath and turned around to face more than one monster. The stupid things had figured out how to use their hands as at least three zombies were holding something, one with an axe, one with a shovel, and another with a sword.

Bracing himself, he lunged forward and swung his sword at them as hard as he could, hoping he didn't lose his footing again and fall.

It had all happened so quickly, he thought as the blood of a zombie splattered on his shoulder before the monster fell to its death in the lava that bubbled below. Two more. He had just been out trying to find his way back home before suddenly falling into a ravine and now he was fighting for his life. It should all be normal by now, he had lived in the new biome for a little over a year but it still hadn't quite sunk in that he might have to fight these things for as long as he lived.

A shout from below startled him. It was clearly not a shout of a zombie or any other monster he could think of. Shoving the other two zombies out of the way, giving him enough time to quickly look over the edge, he saw another person with a bow in hand and arrows in his backpack, firing as many as he could at the spider and creeper that came toward him.

The creeper blew up and took the spider with it, string and gunpowder left in their ashes. The man picked them up and began to walk away, not bothering with the other monsters that lurked in the darkness behind him.

The loud growl of a zombie shook his senses and he was suddenly fighting again, swinging his sword at their faces, although It didnt look like it was doing much damage. The fall from earlier really must have taken a lot of health from him. Attempting to avoid a swing from the zombie caused Ludwig to step back but he hadnt seen the small twig laying below them on the rocky ground. Unknowing of the small twig, he stood back and tripped on it, falling backwards once again, the zombie standing before him, its arms outstretched and ready to rip Ludwig into pieces.

Before he knew what was happening, a clang of a sword echoed in his ears and the drawn-out growl of a zombie that fell below him drew his eyes to what was happening before him.

The man he had seen earlier had dug through the dirt towards Ludwig and had attacked the monsters, leaving only a sword behind. He bent down and picked up the sword, pushing it through one of the many loops in his belt before standing up straight and looking down at Ludwig, the moon glowing behind him ominously.

He saw the outline of the man standing above him, a bear's head resting upon his own, the teeth shining in the moonlight and the eyes of the beast just as bright. The face of his savoir looked as though he had seen better days, a scowl on his lips, but his eyes hidden from Ludwig's view.

A sense of deja-vu came over Ludwig as he tried to shuffle back away from the person towering over him. Usually he would get up and fight but he knew he didn't have much fight left in him and would probably only get a few weak punches in, which was embarrassing to admit.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the man above him tilted his head and made a questioning noise as if he also felt like he had seen Ludwig somewhere before. A gasp came from the man before they pushed back the bear head to reveal their face. A small smile spread across Ludwig's face when he realised who it was.

It was Alfred. That American he had met a month ago, the man who helped him and was now helping him again. Fate had a lot in store for them, it seemed.

Holding out his hand, Alfred chuckled.

"Dude, i really didn't think i'd see you again! You just up and left me last time!"

Taking Alfred's hand and saying a quick _Thank You_ , he pulled himself up, now becoming very aware of the sharp pain in his back. The pain was a bit too much as he doubled over, Alfred quickly coming to hold him up by his upper arms, looking down at him with worry.

"You okay? I know those monsters were pretty tough but you look pretty tough yourself, so whats wrong?"

Ludwig didn't want to tell Alfred he had foolishly fallen down into this ravine, that he hadn't been looking where he was going and ended up hurting himself. He had already taken too much help from Alfred, any more and he would lose his stature of "scary man who doesn't need any help because he's strong enough on his own".

But isn't that what he wanted?

"Lud', c'mon man, are you okay?"

Coughing to get rid of the tight feeling in his chest, he pushed himself away from Alfred, away from the comfortable warmth he was in, to look Alfred straight in the eye. He had Intended to tell him that he was fine and that he didn't need help, but he hadn't looked at Alfred properly until now.

The poor boy had cuts and bruises all over his face, an obvious scar on his neck that would have been hidden by the bear skin if it wasn't pulled back. He had bags under his eyes but didn't seem tired in the least, and his lips were torn as if he had been nervously biting at them.

"Are _you_ okay?"

He had struggled to get out the question but the kid looked as though he had just fought with an entire army and had somehow won. It made him angry, knowing that a kid had just been fighting for his life without a care in the world and it made him angry knowing that he was most likely all on his own with no one back home to care for his wounds.

"What- Uh, yeah! Yeah im okay!" Alfred nervously rubbed at his right cheek, rubbing away some of the dirt that was there. The sun had begun showing once again, the light shining on Alfred's glasses and casting light on the two. Realising that they were still in the ravine (and that Alfred was obviously lying), he straightened himself and looked above them. The ground above them wasn't too far away, they could get there if they dug away at the dirt and formed stairs but his arms were too tired to even move.

Seeing Ludwig's internal struggle (or just seeing the worried look on his face), Alfred offered to help get them out. He had broken up a ladder he found in a village earlier and put it in his backpack, they could use that to get themselves out. Putting the ladder onto the dirt wasn't too much of a hassle, it was rather hard, he would admit, but it would all be worth it when he was finally back home and in bed.

The soft feel of grass met his palms as he finally reached the top of the ladder, Alfred standing not too far off, looking out at the rising sun. Clambering up, he stretched, feeling his back pop and some of the pain go away. The noise was loud enough to cause Alfred to turn around, looking at Ludwig and smiling a smile warm enough that it could melt ice.

"Should we head back to mine?" Alfred asked, walking over to Ludwig with this hands behind his head.

"No."

Ludwig didn't want Alfred to have to deal with him again. Alfred looked like he needed to be cared for, for someone to heal those wounds instead of him healing other's wounds.

"We'll go to mine. It isn't far from here and the sun is rising so the monsters should leave us be."

Alfred had a look on his face that Ludwig wouldn't quite describe but it looked like he was surprised. Surprised that he was going to someone else's for once? That someone was offering to help him? It was sad to think that Alfred always gave and never took but it might not be true, for all Ludwig knew.

"Okay!"

With that, they began walking again. Ludwig couldn't stop thinking about how much his back hurt and stung but was thankful that he hadn't broken it. He thought about Alfred and if he was in pain or not, and if he was then he should ask how he was so good at hiding it.

The walk to his home was long and the air was dry, as they had to cross a small sandy biome to get to Ludwig's grassy home. The familiar wooden wall covered in vines came into view and Ludwig smiled and sighed in relief. His home was just inside those walls. He couldn't wait to get inside and put his feet up and just relax for a few minutes, but Alfred was to be taken care of first.

Finally getting inside, the door closed and locked, Ludwig groaned with a smile. The cold air felt wonderful against his warm skin and he hoped Alfred felt the same. Turning around quickly, perhaps a bit too quickly, he was faced with Alfred. A very close Alfred.

Alfred was walking close to Ludwig when he had stopped and turned around, now face-to-face with the German himself, wide-eyed and staring.

Backing off, Alfred went red, something Ludwig hadn't seen happen before. The American blushed and laughed nervously before asking, "So uh- Can i shower? I might need to borrow some clothes though.." He trailed off, looking down at his torn short and dirty shorts, ignoring the cuts and bruises that were littered all over him.

Nodding, Ludwig led Alfred to his room, pulling out a shirt and some trousers, apologizing if they were too big, "There is a medical kid inside the bathroom just off to our right. You may use the shower, of course, and i'll show you to your bedroom once you are done."

Alfred said his thank you's with more smiles before he closed the bathroom door and begun the shower, Ludwig closing the bedroom door and making his way downstairs to get himself something to eat before his stomach could growl at him any more.

He hadn't been keeping track of the time as nearly two hours had gone by before Ludwig had noticed and had to stop himself from running up the stairs to make sure Alfred was okay.

Knocking on the door lightly, Ludwig called in. "Alfred? Are you okay? Would you like something to eat?"

He got no reply.

Straightening himself, he pushed the door open. He had hoped Alfred didn't slip and fall in the tub or maybe he had hurt himself some how and passed out, but Ludwig's worries had disappeared as he saw Alfred, dressed in the clothes he had given him (even though they were a bit big on him, and was that a bit of his stomach he could see?), fast asleep on his bed, a pillow in his arms and his glasses on the bed-side table.

He didn't have it in him to wake Alfred just to move him to another room, so why not leave him? He felt like maybe he should wake him to tend to his wounds but it was still early in the morning and fatigue was beginning to settle on him heavily. He would make sure to deal with them later as he was sure the two of them would fall asleep during the healing and that wasn't something Ludwig wanted to endure.

Alfred looked so peaceful while asleep, Ludwig noted as he pulled the blanket over his sleeping form, pushing a small strand of hair away from his face. He saw that his glasses had left a mark on his face, a long mark that went over his cheeks and his nose.

It was quite cute, but Ludwig wouldn't admit that.

Looking around sheepishly as if someone would spot him, he kissed Alfred's temple before quickly hurrying towards the door. Looking back at Alfred once more, he said a quiet _Goodnight_ and turned off the light, hoping he got a good nights sleep, unknowing of Alfred's smile and bright red cheeks under the duvet.


End file.
